7th December 2018, Skopje – More than 500 pupils in Cerkezi village, Kumanovsko, have been provided better teaching conditions through IPA grants. Grants in the amount of Denar 1.96 million aimed at renovating the Primary School “Jeronim de Rada”, have been allocated through the Municipal Services Improvement Project, implemented by the Ministry of Finance, with support and funds extended by the World Bank and the European Union.
By renovating the school building, better conditions have been provided for 530 pupils, as well as for 58 persons employed in this school. Interior carpentry has been changed, plasterboard has been placed on the ceiling, the floors have been replaced, and the holes in the walls have been repaired and painted.
Minister of Finance Dragan Tevdovski stressed that the Municipal Services Improvement Project provides for improved services in all municipalities in the country, also including better teaching conditions in the schools and the kindergartens. He said that by realizing the Project, as well as other measures and reforms, the Government strives to improve the education process in the country.
– For the purpose of having sustainable economic growth and better living standard, investments should be made in the human potential. Investments in the field of education are of exceptional importance. Each of us
is good at something and has something to offer. Our Government is committed to making investments in the education, i.e. in improving both the educational infrastructure and the quality of educational programs. Denar 27.4 billion are allocated in the next year’s Budget for the education, being by Denar 2 billion more compared to this year, Minister of Finance Dragan Tevdovski said.
Head of EU Delegation to Macedonia, Samuel Žbogar underlined that given the funds this Project may be a small one, but its impact is huge, since it provides for improving the teaching conditions in the respective school.
-The first years in the education of children are the most important for their proper development. This is the exact reason why having appropriate learning conditions is of utmost importance for the children.
Activities undertaken within this Project are aimed precisely at achieving this goal – Žbogar said.
Mayor of Kumanovo Maksim Dimitrievski pointed out that as result of such infrastructure projects, the municipality works on improving the living conditions in the rural areas.
-One of the strategic goals in the sub-strategy for municipal rural development is improving the living conditions of the population in rural areas by realizing the respective goal, i.e. raising the living standard by implementing infrastructure projects, such as this subproject – Dimitrievski said.
World Bank Country Manager for Macedonia, Marko Mantovanelli said that this subproject is a part of MSIP. Many infrastructure projects have been implemented under the Municipal Services Improvement Project, contributing to better living conditions for many citizens in the country.
-This is a subproject we implement together with the Ministry of Finance under MSIP. 12,900 have been provided with clean and better quality drinking water and more than 524,500 citizens have access to better utility services within the Project, Mantovanelli said.
Municipal Services Improvement Project provides for financing capital municipal projects such as water supply, sewerage and waste water collection, energy efficiency (street lighting, insulation of municipal facilities and similar), local road infrastructure (modernization and reconstruction of streets and roads), utility services (procurement of vehicles for public utility enterprises), as well as other municipal services and competences (construction of kindergartens, green markets, infrastructure in industrial zone, and similar).